Srinagar, Apr 13 Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence over the rape and killing of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district of the state.

“Hon PM sir, there isn’t a day when we don’t hear you speak about things that are important to you yet there are times when you are completely silent about things that are important to others,” he tweeted.

Abdullah requested the prime minister not to let the girl be “someone you choose to remain silent about”.

The rape and killing of the girl, who belonged to the nomadic Bakerwal Muslim community, has become a national issue. The gory details of the heinous crime surfaced following filing of charges.

The girl had disappeared from a spot near her house close to Rasana village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua on January 10.

A week later, her body was found in the same area.

A Special Investigation Team, formed to probe the incident, has arrested eight people, including two special police officers (SPOs) and a head constable, who was charged with destroying evidence.